Behavioral and predictive relationships between spectral and temporal auditory processing

Understanding the interactions between spectral and temporal auditory processing mechanisms is important for auditory perceptual organization; however, behavioral evidence regarding these relationships remains limited. This study aimed to examine the behavioral and predictive relationships among spectral resolution, temporal envelope sensitivity, and temporal ordering abilities in normal-hearing adults. Fifty-nine normal-hearing adults (25-30 years) participated in the study. Spectral resolution was assessed using the spectral-temporal modulated ripple test (SMRT), temporal envelope sensitivity using a 10-Hz amplitude modulation (AM10) detection task, and temporal ordering abilities using the frequency pattern test (FPT) and duration pattern test (DPT). Better SMRT scores correlated with poorer AM10 thresholds (r = 0.56, p < 0.001) and better FPT scores (r = 0.81, p < 0.001); poorer AM10 thresholds also correlated with better FPT scores (r = 0.40, p = 0.002). DPT showed no significant associations (all p > 0.05). Multiple regression analyses indicated that AM10 and FPT jointly explained 73.3% of the variance in SMRT, both showing significant positive effects; SMRT and AM10 explained 64% of the variance in FPT, but only SMRT was a significant positive predictor. These findings indicate that higher spectral resolution and frequency-based ordering performance was associated with reduced temporal envelope sensitivity, whereas duration-based ordering appeared relatively independent of the other measures. Furthermore, these auditory processing abilities showed partial predictive relationships with one another.